Bottle-stopper.



H. J. FREY.

BOTTLE STOPPER. APPLICATION FILED Aus. I8. IsII.

Patented Nov. 5, 1918;

g oraison.

HENRY J. FREY, or Pani/ryan, ivirssoUnI,

BOTTLE-smorrnn.

Speccationof Letters Patent.

Patented Nev. 5, 1918.

Application filed August 18, 1917. Serial No. 186,960. Y

To all whom z'tmag/v concern.'

Be it knownthat I, HENRY J. FREY, a citizen of the United States, residingk at Palmyra, in the countyy of Marion and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful lmprovements in Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to improvements in Stoppers for bottles and other containers, and particularly to a valved stopper designed for preventing, or deterring to a maximum degree, the refilling of the bottle after having once been filled and the stopper applied.l f

The object of the invention is to provide a valved stopper adapted to eHectually subserve its intended purpose, and which can be made and-sold at a reasonable cost.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which :-v f

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the upper portion of a bottle arranged in an upright position, showing the valved stopper applied and the valve in closed position. Y

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the bottle tilted for discharge of its contents.

' Fig. 3 is a similar view of the bottle in inverted position.

Fig. 4; is a sectional plan view on line l--Li of Fig. 1.

Fig. '5 is a vertical section ron line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates-the neck of a bottle or other container, within which is fitted a stopper 2 embodying the novel features of my invention This stopper is made of any suitable material and is preferably tapered to tightly t the'neck 1,V 1 -and is provided 'at'its upper end with a ange 3 serving as a stop to limit its downward movement and prevent it from being forced down into the bottle.

Extending vertically through the'stopper, and coaxially therewith, is a discharge tube 4, made of metal or other suitable material, said tube being provided with a lower open end 5 and formed in its diametrically opposite sides, between its lower end andthe base of the stopper 2, with inlet slots 6, for the flow into the tube of the liquid to be discharged from the bottle. .The upper portion of the tube extends above the flange 3 vof the stopper and terminates in an outlet 7 constricted port 10VV with the `body ofthe tube surrounded by the stopper. This chamber 9 is provided'with av suitable inlet 1l for ythe admission of air in the discharge of the liquid from the bottle, and has arranged therein a valve 12. The valve 12 is provided witha `curved or Vpartially spherical base or seat portion 13,l adapted when the valve is in closed position to restvr upon a seat 14 formed by the base of the chamber 9, so as to close the passagev 1() against the introduction ofV liquid.`

A suitable closure 15 is provided for sealing the upper end of the outlet 7- under normal conditions to prevent the `access of dirt, dust and other foreign substances. f V

The valve 12 is providedwith a depending stem 16 projecting downwardly into the body of the tube 4'." This stem `16 is coupled by a flexible valvecontrolling connection 17 i with a valve controllingweight 18, which connection 17 may be in the formof a chain, cable or the like. The weight 18 is providedwith a conicalupper end 19 Vprojecting into the openl end 5 of the tube andhaving at the base/of its-'marginal portion -an outwardly extending flange or shoulder 20.- The conical portion 19 forms a guiding or centering andV pivoting member, whereby the weight 18 is guided in its vertical movements, and is also kpermitted'to -tilt laterallyin any direction on-the lower end ofthe tube 4' as a fulcrum; The Yshoulder or flange 2,0

is'adaptedV to abut vagainst the lower end of `the tube 4 tolimit the upward movement of vthe .Weight and valve, and is preferably curved or arranged at an acute angle to the conical surface 19 in order to permit the weight to have ease or ireedom in its universal lateral movements. y

A suitable anchoring or locking device is provided for holding the stopper locked within the bottle neck. This device, as shown, is preferably formed of spring wire bent to provide a pair of locking arms 21, arranged to diverge in an upward direction and converge in a downward direction and having their converging ends united by an eye or coil rlhis eye or coil 22 is disposed in the lower end of the tube 11 in proximity to the lower ends of the slots 6, and the arms 21 project outwardly through said slots with their outer free ends arranged to bear against the top of the body of the bottle, whereby said arms act as locking members to hold the stopper against extraction. The locking device is secured in position within the tube by a retaining pin 23 which passes through the eye 22 and also through the sides of the tube el and may be fixed against displacement in any suitable manner. The locking arms are arranged so as to fold inwardly so that they may be held, against their tendency to move outwardly, by the operator within the plane of the outer surface of the stopper 2 in the operation of introducing said stopper into the bottle neck, whereby when the stopper is fully inserted and the arms 21 released for movement the said arms will move outwardly under the action ot the spring coil 22 into engagement with the top of the bottle body, thereby locking the stopper against any possibility of removal.

It will be understood that in the operation ot' discharging all or a portion of the contents ot the bottle, the bottle is turned from the normal. upright position shown in Fig. 1 to the inverted position shown in Fig. 3, in which operation the valve 12 and weight 1d will move downward or forward by gravity, thus unseating the valve for the discharge of the liquid from the bottle, air entering the bottle through the inlet 11 and tube l to take the place of the discharged liquid. lVhen the bottle is again restored to an upright position, the valve 12 will drop by its own weight, and the downward movement of the controlling weight 18, back to normal position and thus close the passage 10 against the introduction of liquid. If the bottle is laid horizontally or upon one of its sides in an attempt to cause the valve to open so the liquid can be forced or otherwise introduced into the bottle, the tendency of the valve to move open by gravity will be counteracted by the weight 18, and in such action the weight 18 will tilt downwardly toward the lower side of the bottle and in so doing will draw upon the connection 17 and thus move the valve 12 to closed position.

The valve 12 is made of some material which will give it sutlicient weight to normally close by gravity, but which will adapt it to float in liquid, so that under some conditions the valve will float to closed position as soon as an attempt is made to refill the bottle, thus preventing any attempt of this character.

It will be observed that the weight 18 has its body portion in the form of a double cone frustum, with the reduced ends of the cone frustum arranged in apposition, the lower cone being the larger, thus making the base of the weight of maximum area, whereby the weight is adapted to easily tilt and close the valve when the bottle is placed in a. slanting, horizontal or upright position. Hence it will be seen that the valve 12 is always closed except when the bottle is turned vertically upside-down. In this position, however, no liquid can be forced into the bottle because the pressure of the air in the bottle will prevent it. If, however, an attempt should be made to refill the bottle by heating the bottle to expand the air in it and then submerging and cooling the bottle to cause the air to contract and form a partial vacuum designed to effectthe suction of liquid into the bottle, this will be prevented by reason oi the fact that the valve 12 will iioat in the entering liquid and be Jforced by the liquid against its seat 14, thus preventing the liquid from entering the bottle, as will be readily understood.

It will thus be seen that the invention provides a stopper having a novel construction of valve controlled means designed to prevent the introduction of liquid, whereby the absolute prevention of the introduction of liquid will be effected or the operation of introducing a liquid rendered so slow anddifticult as to make it practically impossible to refill the bottle with any degree of economy or within any reasonable time. Also it will be seen that the stopper is simple of construction and may be made and sold at a comparatively low cost.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A closure for containers comprising a stopper, a discharge tube extending through the stopper, said tube having a projecting inner end portion provided with inlet openings and a projecting outer end portion formed with a spherical valve chamber having an outlet, a combined iioat and gravity valve disposed within said chamber and having a partly spherical surface to engage the same, said valve having a stem extending into said tube, a valve controlling weight tiltably engaging the lower end of the tube, and a flexible connection extending through the tube and loosely connecting the weight with the valve stem.

2. A closure for containers comprising a stopper, a discharge tube extending through apertured end of the tube and having rethe stopper, said tube having a lovver inlet versely movable spring arms projecting outend and an upper voutlet end, said inlet end Wardly through said apertures and adapted 10 being provided with diametrically opposed for engagement With the bottle neck to lock 5 air inlet apertures, valve mechanism conthe stopper from Withdrawal.

trolling the flow of liquid through the tube, In testimony whereof I aiix my signature. and a locking device mounted Within the HENRY'J. FREY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

